Simpson College’s women’s basketball team fell to the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire at its home opener on Nov. 22. Despite the 87–75 loss, the Storm showed their capabilities for the season.
Sophomore Taylor Hansen scored a career high of 21 points. She said she found her rhythm by sticking to what she knows she’s best at.
“I was looking for what I would consider my shots. I love the baseline drive, floaters and catch and shoot threes,” she said.
She added the team’s balance plays a huge role.
“We have several people who could go off any given night, which makes it hard for teams to match up against us,” she said.
Eau Claire shot over 65 percent in the second half and stretched the lead to 18, but Simpson received late shots from Hansen and a layup from senior Lili Duckmann.
Hansen said she likes where the group’s chemistry is heading.
“I feel like the chemistry of our team has already increased from when we started practice and will only continue to do so,” Hansen said.
She also noted the biggest area for improvement for the team is controlling momentum.
“If we can limit their runs and focus on getting one stop at a time and rebounding, we will only continue to improve,” she said.
Sophomore Ella Anderson also had a strong night with 17 points and eight rebounds, doing what she could to keep Simpson in the mix.
According to Anderson, the Storm tried to play to their strengths from the jump.
“We knew that Eau Claire is a strong team, so we had to play to our strengths, which is running the floor and being aggressive both offensively and defensively,” she said.
She said the upperclassmen focus on keeping everyone centered when opponents get hot.
“When facing a tough shooting night, we just have to continue doing what we can control,” Anderson said.
Anderson explained this type of focus starts with physicality and pressure.
“Being aggressive on defense and getting to the paint are our biggest objectives.” she said.
Despite the final score, Anderson saw plenty to build on.
“We didn’t get the result we wanted, but we grew a lot. We continued to play hard throughout the game, and we had some really good offensive and defensive runs,” she said.
The Storm also got quality minutes from senior Elle Street and sophomore Karsen Jacks, who combined for 17 points and 7 rebounds, plus eight assists from senior Maddax DeVault.
Simpson will now turn its focus to a weekend trip to Platteville, where the Storm will face the University of Wisconsin-Platteville Nov. 29 before Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota Nov. 30.
